Cat Slater!

 This is Cat Slater. Cat Slater is the latest of our barn kittens – a fat little grey sausage he was, all on his own! Somehow he has managed to work out a very privileged lifestyle – he has TWO mummies, both of whom nurse him devotedly. As a result he’s a little pudding of a thing, just now ready to stagger out of the nursery hay bales and  “hang out” with the big cats at the morning milking bowl. Most of our barn cats are ginger or tortoiseshell, so he really stands out – and gets more than his fair share of cuddles, it must be said! See our facebook page for a video of Cat Slater and his two mummies…

Yesterday Angus the vet came to do our annual goat testing. Every year we test all the goats for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis, yick!) and TB. We don't have a legal requirement to test for TB, but as we sell the raw milk and give it to our own children, we think it's just sensible to do so, just for due diligence. It is expensive, and of course it's anxious every year, waiting for the results. We've never had a reactor - we would be devastated to have to put one of our lovelies down - so fingers crossed it will be all good news again this year!

Two days ago we had a bit of a scare with Wandi, pictured below:

She went completely off her food, and was stretching and arching her back - too much good rich grass, we reckoned. Goats can bloat just like horses. When a goat goes off her food, it's bad news, because they're normally so greedy! So we know that if one isn't eating, it's real trouble. Anyhow, we dosed Wandi with olive oil and our own kefir, and then a jab from Angus the vet to get her tummy moving again. She was very poorly in the evening, we were really worried about her - she was down, looking miserable, no milk and no interest in supper. Went in the next morning very nervously - and she was up and about, ready for breakfast! Whew! They don't half put you through your paces, animals and children, eh?